The third son of the Otori family. That's who I've always been. I'm not as important to my family as my older brothers, or at least that's what I thought. My oldest brother was going to inherit the family business and the next one was going to help him run it. Where did that leave me? I've long since made up my mind I had to do something for myself, make a name outside of the distinguished Otori family. That is why I attended Ouran. That is why I've joined the host club.
Somewhere along the way, I had befriend a group of guys that I normally would steer clear of. I had nothing against them of course, they were just not my type. I was cold and calculated, or at least others thought I was and they steered clear of me. Of course I didn't mind the distance, it helped me focus on my work.
So now with an odd set of friends all banded together to form the Ouran Host Club at our prestigious school, I have set out to make a name for myself. The third son of the Otori family. Kyoya Otori.
Chapter 1:
Kyoya Otori stared at the balance sheet trying to make sense of it. Why were there so high numbers? His head hurt, trying to put it all together. This was Tamaki's doing. If he didn't stop spending money so unnecessarily, the club members would soon have to begin emptying their own, inherently deep pockets. Not that anyone minded, but still. Kyoya had set a strict budget for all of them, starting with the rental payments for Hikaru and Kaoru's mother's various outfits all the way to Honey's lavish spread of cakes and sweets.
"Tamaki, a word please." Kyoya adjusted his glasses and looked over at the group of hooligans fooling around after a long day of school and club's activities. Tamaki stopped wailing for a moment as Hikaru and Kaoru cornered him.
"Aww, come on Kyoya-senpai. We were just getting to the fun part." Hikaru complained, putting a hand on his hip.
"Don't worry Hikaru, you and Kaoru can get back to tormenting our King as soon as he answers some of my questions."
"Hikaru, Kaoru, protect me! Mama looks mad!" Tamaki said as he backed into a corner. He knew all too well what Kyoya wanted to say to him. Once again he had overdone it with the lavish decorations and expensive gifts for their guests.
"Really now? Why would you think that? All I'm trying to do is have a polite, private conversation with you." Kyoya looked at Tamaki frightened appearance as he once again adjusted his glasses.
"Then why do you look like you're about to hurt him?" Kaoru said, slightly amused and smirked at his brother.
"Don't be silly. Kyoya-chan would never hurt Tamaki-chan." Honey said as he stuffed his face with cake. "Right Takashi?" Honey looked over at his cousin who sat there quietly watching everything. He nodded towards Honey and the twins frowned.
"Of course Mori-senpai will take Honey-senpai's side. He always does."
"Hide behind the twins all you want. You'll have to come out sooner or later." Kyoya said as he turned his back to them and continued to work on his laptop. Now he would have to think of a way to increase the club's profit to cover for the excessive costs they've had.
"Hikaru. Kaoru. I have a job for the two of you." Once again their bickering stopped and the twins looked over at Kyoya.
"What's up, senpai?" Hikaru said, interested. Kyoya seldom relied on others to do something for him and when he did, it was usually very interesting.
"I have an idea to increase our profits this month. As you know, I regularly auction off personal photos and occasionally some items in our club website in order to make money to run this club. I was thinking of having a contest. A contest that will declare who our guests most favorite host is. It should be fun. Afterwards, whoever wins will win a personal prize from me as well as have their photo taken and auctioned off. The money we make from that should be sufficient enough to cover our other costs."
"That is a great idea Kyoya! A healthy competition between friends to see who amongst us is deemed most worthy to be a host! Just perfect! Where's Haruhi? I must tell her!" Tamaki said excitedly, pushing past the twins.
"Just a moment Tamaki. You don't get to participate." Kyoya said standing up and facing his best friend. He watched as Tamaki's face fell in disbelief.
"What?! Why?!" The others looked at Kyoya curiously.
"Surely it would be unfair for our King to participate, knowing your popularity amongst our female guests, well it is a disadvantage for the rest of us. Not to say that you are any better than us. Why Haruhi has seemingly surpassed you hasn't she? Anyways, nonetheless, you are not to compete."
"That is not fair Kyoya and you know it!" Tamaki said still fighting him. Honey and Mori looked at each other uncertainly and then at their younger class men.
"What's not fair, senpai?" The bickering stopped immediately as Haruhi walked into the room. All eyes fell on her but before anyone could say anything, Tamaki's annoying voice cried, "Oh Haruhi! Thank god you are here! You'll take daddy's side won't you my sweet daughter?"
"You're side? What are you talking about? What is going on?" Haruhi asked as she looked around her, confused. Clearly she had missed something very important.
"Har-"
"Haruhi, welcome back. Where were you today? You missed our club activity. Your guests were awfully sad at your sudden absence." Kyoya said in a completely unworried manner, cutting Tamaki off. It was more like he was scrutinizing her for disrupting a decent flow of business.
"I'm sorry senpai. I got a call from my dad. Apparently my cousin just got to town a week earlier than scheduled and I had to go pick her up. My phone died right after I left so I couldn't call you and let you know." Haruhi said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Being on Kyoya's bad radar was not good. For all she knew, Kyoya was having her tracked this very instant and every other instant he felt like doing so with his private police force. It was unnerving to know such things at times, especially after she discovered her house had been bugged because the rest of the host club thought she might have been in danger. Haruhi appreciated their efforts at making life safer for her but not at the expense of her privacy.
Haruhi had always been one to take care of herself. Nothing changed that. Not even love.
"I see. Where is this cousin of yours?" Kyoya asked, once again not really caring.
"She's waiting outside. I just came back here to pick up a few things." Haruhi said as she walked towards her changing room. It was hers and hers alone for obvious reasons.
"She's outside? Invite her in." Tamaki said. "I would love to meet another member of Haruhi's family."
"I...alright. Akira, you can come in." Haruhi called out to her cousin.
"Okay." A soft voice echoed in from the hallway and in walked a short, cute girl. She had long black hair and large, shiny eyes, kind of resembling Haruhi from her middle school days.
"Wow Haruhi! You're cousin is very pretty, just like you." Honey said, being the first to speak.
Akira blushed at the compliment as she took the host club in. Haruhi was right, they were an attractive bunch.
"Her name is Akira Oyama. Akira, this is the host club." Haruhi presented her friends.
"Nice to meet you Akira." Hikaru and Kaoru said introducing themselves as they approached her for a closer look.
"Nice to meet you, Hikaru and Kaoru right?" Akira smiled as she extended her hand for a handshake.
"Yes, we are the Hitachin twins." Hikaru said as he looked at her. Honey was right, she did remind him of Haruhi, the large shiny eyes were a dead give away.
"So...you really are Haruhi's kin? How so?" Kaoru said as he too sized her up. He saw the resemblance, but he could already tell she was very different than Haruhi.
"Yes, my mother is Haruhi's mother's sister. I'm her maternal cousin." Akira said as she looked around her.
"I see, how delightful, good of you to bring her by, Haruhi!" Tamaki said as he pushed past the twins to get a good view of Haruhi's relative. Other than Haruhi's transvestite dad, Ranka, this was the only other family of Haruhi's that they got to meet.
"I am Tamaki Suoh, heir to the Suoh family. Also I am King to the host club and father to Haruhi." Tamaki flashed her his award winning smiling but Akira seemed confused as she looked at the blonde haired boy.
"I'm sorry...did you say father?" Akira looked at an annoyed Haruhi who met her cousin's eyes and rolled her eyes.
"Senpai, I told you I am not your daughter, I already have a dad!" Haruhi said irritatingly.
"Haruhi! Don't say such things. It's hurts daddy!." Tamaki whined as everyone looked on at their bickering.
"Senpai-"
"So Akira Oyama is it? What are you planning on doing in Japan?" Kyoya suddenly said, standing up from his armchair and turning to look at the girl. He was startled by the resemblance she had to Haruhi but managed to overcome it expertly as he always did when things seemed to amuse him.
"I...well my dad he owns a business in America that he wants to expand here so he decided to move here for a while to set things up. I go wherever my father's business goes so here I am. My mother is an anthropologist so she usually travels. We were originally supposed to settle in my mother's old house in Nagoya but the house there is still under renovation. My dad has a business conference in Tokyo though so that's why I'm here. He wanted us to stay in a hotel for the time being but I wanted to meet Haruhi so I'm staying with her, at least for a little bit. She and Uncle Ranka are kind enough to let me stay and visit." She smiled warmly at Haruhi who smiled back.
"I see, and your father, what is his name?" Kyoya asked looking at the girl and gaining her attention again. He could see she was uneasy about the direct questions, but he had a hunch.
"His name is Alaric Oyama." She said meeting his eyes and Kyoya smiled oddly.
"I see. He is the same Alaric Oyama who owns Oyama Motor Industries, is he not?" The others turned to look at him as his calm eyes remained on Akira.
"Yes..." Akira was very uncomfortable. She rarely let out the fact that her father was such a renowned business man, mostly because it made others around her look at her differently.
"Hmm." Kyoya watched as the girl squirmed a little bit and decided not to probe any farther. "I am Kyoya Ootori. The third son of the distinguished Ootori family."
"Yes, I know who you are. Haruhi has told me all about you guys. The King Tamaki, the cute Honey and his everlasting loyal cousin, Mori, the Hitachin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, and you, the cold and calculated Kyoya Ootori." She smiled at each of them as she said their names. It was hilarious at how accurate Haruhi had been in describing her friends.
"Well Akira Oyama, welcome to Japan then. If you need anything at all, the Ouran Host Club is here to assist you. After all, Haruhi's guest is our guest." Tamaki said bowing as if she were a princess.
"Thank you for your hospitality Senpai, but we need to get going. I have to go home and make dinner for the three of us." Haruhi said pulling at Akira's elbow.
Akira looked at Haruhi and nodded before turning to the others and saying her goodbyes. After much pleasantries and a promise to visit soon, Haruhi and Akira walked out of music room 3 and headed home.
Kyoya watched as the two girls walked out of the room and he returned to typing on his laptop. The twins continued their bantering with the King until it was time for the host club members to go home too.
It wasn't until later that night when Kyoya was lying awake in his bed waiting for sleep to come as a thought fleeted across his mind. It seemed that a certain American foreigner had been in the back of his mind the entire time.
Meanwhile, in Haruhi's house, the girls retired for the night and Akira lay down next to her sleeping cousin, hearing her hushed breathing in the darkness. Moving from America had been hard but the move was made bearable by Haruhi's company and she was thankful for it. She had already made the Host club and thought they were friendly enough. But Kyoya, he struck her as someone odd with his stony gaze and constant questions.
Exhaustion from the constant travelling finally took over until Akira too fell asleep.
Author's note: I'm thinking of what direction I want to take this fanfic still and it depends on the reviews I get. Thanks to the readers of my other stories who give me the confidence to continue writing. Review if you find this interesting and a second chapter will be uploaded soon. 3